Method and Apparatus for Jogging and Feeding Sortable Articles

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a vibrating jogging tray with rotatable rods having longitudinal edges. The apparatus can further include a transfer assembly comprising a transfer belt and a first vacuum system positioned opposite to a separation assembly comprising a separation belt and, optionally, a second vacuum system. In operation, the rods rotate a plurality of articles toward the transfer assembly. The first vacuum system can draw a first article onto the transfer belt and transports it to a processing station. If a second article overlaps the first article on the transfer belt, the second vacuum system can draw the second article off of the first article and onto the separation belt. If the first article traveling on the transfer assembly is thicker than a distance between the transfer belt and the separation belt, a retractable roller can retract the separation belt and/or the transfer belt to increase the distance therebetween.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the automated handling of documents,envelopes and other sortable articles, particularly to an improvedmethod and apparatus for jogging and feeding.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Mail and check processing centers, such as post offices, inter-officemail rooms and banks often use a vibrating jogging machine to align andjustify a group of documents, envelopes or similar articles. The joggingmachine described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,406 is one such example.

Commonly, after the group of articles are aligned and justified, afeeding machine is used to transport the jogged articles to anotherautomated device (e.g. a scanner, labeler or sorter) for furtherprocessing.

Most jogging and feeding machines are separate stand-alone units, whichmeans an operator must first empty a bin full of articles into a joggerto have them jogged, and then manually remove the aligned articles fromthe jogger and load them into a feeding machine.

In addition, most of today's feeders are usually designed to processarticles with a uniform thickness (such as single sheets of paper with astandard thickness). However, real world articles vary in size andthickness, ranging from small checks, postcards and coupons to ledgersize forms, and announcement sized to inter-office sized envelops.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a jogging and feeding apparatus has a jogging traycoupled to a motor. A plurality of rods are rotatably coupled within thejogging tray. The plurality of rods are adapted to rotate at asynchronized rate with one another and have a spiral thread and alongitudinal edge.

In another embodiment, a jogging and feeding apparatus includes atransfer assembly comprising a transfer belt and a first vacuum system.The first vacuum system is adapted to suction air through a plurality ofopenings in the transfer belt. The apparatus further includes aseparation assembly having a separation belt and a second vacuum system.The second vacuum system is adapted to suction air through a pluralityof openings in the separation belt. A portion of the transfer belt ispositioned opposite to a portion of the separation belt. The transferbelt is adapted to rotate around a plurality of first rollers in a firstdirection and the separation belt is adapted to rotate around aplurality of second rollers in the same first direction.

In yet another embodiment, a first portion of a transfer assembly issecured opposite to a second portion of a separation assembly. A firstbelt in the transfer assembly is adapted to rotate in a first directionand a second belt in the separation assembly is adapted to rotate in thesame first direction. A first suction fan disposed within the transferassembly is adapted to suction air from a plurality of holes in thefirst belt and a second suction fan disposed within the separationassembly is adapted to suction air from a plurality of holes in thesecond belt.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric view of a jogging and feeding apparatusprovided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial top orthogonal view of FIG. I to detail ajogging tray, and includes a plurality of sortable articles in thejogging tray.

FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric view of a rod provided in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of therod of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a motor and jogging tray provided inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6of the jogging and feeding apparatus of FIG. 2 to show a pulley systemfor rotating a plurality of rods. To detail the possible effects of asuction force generated by a vacuum system when the jogging and feedingapparatus is in operation, FIG. 6 further depicts a second articleoverlapping a first article on a transfer belt.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a schematic top view of a transfer belt positionedopposite to a separation belt, with the separation belt in a first and asecond position in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of a transfer belt in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a schematic top view of a transfer belt positionedopposite to a separation belt, with the transfer belt in a first and asecond position in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic of a system comprising a jogging and feedingapparatus provided in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention and a processing station adapted to receive an article fromthe jogging and feeding apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Briefly, the present invention provides an apparatus that can both jogand feed a plurality of sortable articles; including articles of thesame thickness and articles of varying thickness, such as paper, mail,cards, booklets, inter-office sized envelopes, and the like.

In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a vibrating jogging tray withrotatable rods coupled to a transfer assembly. The transfer assembly hasa transfer belt and a first vacuum system. Positioned opposite to thetransfer assembly is a separation assembly comprising a separation beltand second vacuum system. In operation, the rods rotate the plurality ofarticles toward the transfer assembly. The first vacuum system can drawand retain a first article from the plurality of articles onto thetransfer belt and the transfer belt can transport the first article pastthe opposing separation assembly to another station for furtherprocessing. In the event that a second article overlaps the firstarticle on the transfer belt, the second vacuum system can draw thesecond article off of the first article and onto the separation belt. Inthe event that an article traveling on the transfer assembly and pastthe separation assembly is thicker than a distance between the transferbelt and the separation belt, a retractable roller is adapted to retractthe separation belt and/or the transfer belt to increase the distancetherebetween.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a jogging and feeding apparatus provided inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The jogging andfeeding apparatus 10 includes a jogging tray 12 adapted to vibrate andthereby separate a plurality of sortable articles 14 (shown in FIG. 2)in the jogging tray 12 from one another and align a bottom edge 16 ofeach of the plurality of articles 14. The jogging tray 12 comprises aguide rail 18 having a flat vertical surface 19 and a movable guideplate 20. The jogging tray 12 includes a plurality of rods 22 rotatablycoupled within the jogging tray 12. The rods 22 partially protrude abovea top surface 24 of the jogging tray 12, are positioned substantiallyparallel to one another and are adapted to rotate at a synchronized ratewith one another in the direction of the guide rail 18. The movableguide plate 20 is selectively coupled to at least one of the pluralityof rods 22. The rods 22 have spiral grooves 26 adapted to move the guideplate 20 and the plurality of articles 14 in the jogging tray 12 to aforward end 28 of the jogging tray 12 when the rods 22 rotate. As therods 22 rotate toward the guide rail 18, a side edge 30 of each of theplurality of articles 14 is driven toward the guide plate 20 to justifythe side edges 30 against the guide plate 20. As shown in FIG. 3, tofurther assist the jogging function of the apparatus 10, in oneembodiment, the rods 22 have a longitudinal edge 32. As the rods 22rotate at a synchronized rate, the longitudinal edge 32 on each rod 22protrudes above the top surface 24 of the jogging tray 12 at a cyclicalinterval to slightly lift the articles 14 being jogged. This liftingaction helps to further separate one article from another, and assiststhe bottom edge 16 of each article being jogged to fall within thegrooves 26 in the rods 22.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the rod 22 has four longitudinaledges 32 that were achieved by manufacturing the rod 22 with asubstantially rectangular or square cross section 34 (shown in FIG. 4).As can be appreciated, a number of other cross sections may be used toyield a rod 22 with at least one longitudinal edge 32. For example, therod 22 can be made with a substantially octagonal cross section to yielda rod 22 having eight longitudinal edges. Hexagonal, pentagonal, ortriangular cross sections can also be employed to yield a rod 22 havingeither six, five or three longitudinal edges. The number of crosssections that the rod 22 can have to yield at least one longitudinaledge is not to be limited and can further include a tear-drop orcam-like cross-sectional shape to yield one longitudinal edge.

To vibrate the jogging tray 12 and rotate the rods 22 at a synchronizedrate, any number of motorized configurations may be used. In the exampleshown in FIG. 5, to vibrate the jogging tray 12, a bottom surface of thejogging tray 36 is coupled to a first motor 38 having an off-set shaft40 and a crank arm 42. In the example shown in FIG. 6, to rotate theplurality of rods 22 at a synchronized rate with one another, the rods22 are coupled to a second motor 44 via a number of pulleys 46 and apulley belt 48.

In another embodiment, also depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, a transferassembly 50 is positioned adjacent to the forward end 28 of the joggingtray 16. The transfer assembly 50 includes a transfer belt 52 with aplurality of first-sized openings 54 and a plurality of second-sizedopenings 56 (shown in FIG. 1). The plurality of first-sized openings 54in the transfer belt 52 are positioned on the belt 52 at intervals, witha distance 58 therebetween. The transfer belt 52 is adapted to rotate ata fixed speed around a plurality of first rollers 60 in a clockwisedirection. A third motor 61 (shown in FIG. 2) is used to rotate thetransfer belt 52.

The transfer assembly 50 further includes a first vacuum system 62comprised of a group of vertically positioned suction fans 64. It is tobe understood that other configurations and devices for providing asuction on the belt can also be used. The first vacuum system 62 isadapted to suction air from the plurality of first and second-sizedopenings 54, 56 in the transfer belt 52 to generate a first and a secondsuction force 66, 68 (shown in FIG. 1), respectively. The term “vacuumsystem” as used herein means commercially available systems employed toapply a continuous vacuum.

The first suction force 66 is one that is at least sufficient enough todraw, from the plurality of articles 14 on the jogging tray 12, a firstarticle 70 (shown in FIG. 2) from the forward end 28 of the tray 12 ontothe transfer belt 52. The second suction force 68 is one that is atleast sufficient enough to retain the first article 70 onto the transferbelt 52 once it has been drawn thereto. Because more force is requiredto draw an article onto the transfer belt 52 than is required to retainthe article onto a belt, the first suction force 66 is typically higherthan the second suction force 68.

As one of ordinary skill in the mechanical art can appreciate,determining the threshold amount of force needed to accomplish each ofthese tasks will depend on a number of design factors, such as thedistance between the transfer belt 52 and the jogging tray 12, the powerlevel of the first vacuum system 60, the size and number of each of theplurality of first and second-sized openings 54, 56 on the transfer belt52.

In one embodiment, the distance 58 between the first-sized openings 54is designed to reduce the likelihood the first suction force 66 willdraw more than one article from the forward end 28 of the tray 12 ontothe transfer belt 52 at the same time. Considerations for determiningthe interval distance 58 between each set of first-sized openings 54includes the overall length of the transfer belt 52, the typical lengthof the articles 14 being transported, and the speed at which transferthe belt 52 travels. In another embodiment, a metal plate (not shown)mounted behind the transfer belt 52 is used to control the timing of theapplication of the first suction force 66. The metal plate ispositionable in a first position to restrict the flow of air through thefirst-sized openings 54 and in a second position to allow the flow ofair through the first-sized openings 54.

In one example, the transfer assembly has a transfer belt with 75 to 125first-sized openings appearing on the transfer belt at an interval ofevery 12.7 millimeters (0.5 inches), with each first-sized opening being4 to 6 millimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) in diameter. The transfer beltfurther has two to four second-sized openings per 645 square millimeters(per one square inch), with each second-sized opening being 4 to 8millimeters (0.16 to 0.32 inches) in diameter, and a first vacuum systemwith a power rating that can range from 367 to 1,471 watts (0.5 to 2horsepower) to generate a first suction force through the first-sizedopenings that varies between 2.7 and 4.0 kPa (20 and 30 mmHg) and asecond suction force through the second-sized openings that variesbetween 2.7 and 4.0 kPa (20 and 30 mmHg).

In another embodiment, positioned opposite to a portion of the transferassembly 50 is a separation assembly 72. The separation assembly 72includes a separation belt 74 with, optionally, a plurality ofthird-sized openings 76. The separation belt 74 is adapted to rotatearound a plurality of second rollers 78 and, as shown in FIGS. 7A and7B, to move from a first position to a second position. To rotate theseparation belt 74, a motor 63 (shown in FIG. 1) is used. The separationbelt 74 is adapted to rotate in a direction that is the same as that inwhich the transfer belt 52 rotates. For example, if the transfer belt 52is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction (as is the case in theembodiment described above), the separation belt 74 is also adapted torotated in a clockwise direction. As a result, because the separationassembly 72 is positioned opposite to a portion of the transfer assembly50, when the jogging and feeding apparatus 10 is in use, the transferbelt 52 travels in a direction that is opposite to the direction inwhich the separation belt 74 travels.

To move the separation belt 74, a number 78 a of the plurality of secondrollers 78 are retractable. The retractable rollers 78 a reside on amoveable base plate 80 coupled to a spring 82. When the spring 82 is ina natural position, there is a distance 84 between the separation belt74 and the transfer belt 52. When the spring 82 is in a biased position,the spring 82 biases the base plate 80 and the retractable rollers 80 aon the base plate 80. This, in turn, biases the separation belt 74 inthe second position and increases the distance 84 between the separationbelt 74 and the transfer belt 52. The distance 84 between the two belts52, 74 is a design choice that depends, in part, on the averagethickness of the majority of articles that the jogging and feedingapparatus 10 is likely to jog and feed. The amount of distance by whichthe distance will vary depending on the thickness of the article beingtransported on the transfer belt 52 and the spring rate. In one example,the range is between 0.25 and 12.7 millimeters (0.01 and 0.5 inches).

In another embodiment, if openings 76 in the separation belt 74 arepresent (as shown in FIG. 1), the separation assembly 72 includes asecond vacuum system 86 comprised of a horizontally positioned suctionfan 88. The second vacuum system 86 is adapted to suction air from theplurality of third-sized openings 76 in the separation belt 74 togenerate a third suction force 90. The third suction force 90 is onethat, in the event that a second article 92 overlaps the first article70 on the transfer belt 52 (as shown in FIG. 6), is high enough to pullthe second article 92 off of the transfer belt 52 and onto theseparation belt 74 and yet low enough so as to not pull the firstarticle 70 off of the transfer belt 52. As a result, the third suctionforce 90 is typically lower than each of the first and the secondsuction forces 66, 68. Factors for determining the third suction force90 include: the size and number of the plurality of third-sized openings76 in the separation belt 74, the distance between the transfer belt 52and the separation belt 74, and the strength level of the first and thesecond suction force 66, 68.

In one example, the separation assembly has a separation belt with 30 to50 third-sized openings appearing on the separation belt at an intervalof every 12.7 millimeters (0.5 inches), with each opening being 4 to 6millimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) in diameter, and a second vacuumsystem with a power rating that can range from 367 to 1,471 watts (0.5to 2 horsepower) to generate a third suction force through thethird-sized openings that varies between 2.7 and 4.0 kPa (20 and 30mmHg).

It is to be understood that the various embodiments described herein canbe utilized singularly or in various combinations. In operation, in oneembodiment, the first motor 38 gently vibrates the jogging tray 12 whilethe second motor 44 rotates the plurality of rods 22 at a synchronizedrate in the direction of the guide rail 18. An operator places aplurality of articles 14 that are to be jogged and fed (e.g. fed in thejogger and feeder apparatus 10 for purposes of being transported to ascanner, labeler, sorter or the like) in the jogging tray 12 in avertical position against the guide plate 20. When the jogger and feederapparatus 10 is turned on, the first motor 38 vibrates the jogging tray12 and the second motor 44 rotates the rods. The vibration from the tray12 and the rotation of the rods 22 jostle the plurality of articles 14and cause the bottom edges 16 of the plurality of articles 14 to alignagainst the top surface 24 of the jogging tray 12. The rotation of therods 22 further causes the side edges 30 of each of the plurality ofarticles 14 to justify against the vertical surface 19 of the guideplate 20. The lifting motion from the longitudinal edges 32 on the rods22 cyclically lifts the plurality of articles 14. On their downwardfall, the articles 14 fall within the grooves 26 in the rods 22. Becausethe articles 14 are positioned within the spiral grooves 26, as the rods22 rotate, the rods move the articles 14 toward the forward end 28 ofthe tray 12 and the guide plate 20 also moves therewith.

In embodiments where a transfer assembly is positioned adjacent to theforward end 28 of the jogging tray 16, when the first article 70 hasbeen moved sufficiently close to the rotating transfer belt 52 of thetransfer assembly 50, the first suction force 66 (generated by the airsuctioned through the plurality of first-sized openings 54 in thetransfer belt 52 by the first vacuum system 62) suctions the firstarticle 70 onto the transfer belt 52. The second suction force 68(generated by the air suctioned through the plurality of second-sizedopenings 56 in the transfer belt 52 by the first vacuum system 62)maintains the first article 70 on the transfer belt 52. In this way, thefirst article 70 travels on the transfer belt 52 to a processing station94 (e.g. a scanner, labeler or sorter) adapted to receive the article 70from the apparatus 10, shown in FIG. 10.

If a separation assembly 72 with retractable rollers 78 a is positionedopposite to the transfer assembly 50 and the first article 70 travelingon the transfer belt 52 is thicker than the distance 84 between thetransfer belt 52 and the separation belt 74, then, when the firstarticle 70 reaches the separation assembly 72, the moving article 70generates a lateral force causing the resultant vector to bias thespring 82 and retract the separation belt 42. This increases thedistance 84 between the two belts 52, 74 to allow the first article 70to continue to travel on the transfer belt 52, past the separationassembly 72 and toward the processing station 94.

If the plurality of third-sized openings 76 are present in theseparation belt 74 and the first suction force 66 suctions both a firstarticle 70 and a second article 92 onto the transfer belt in a mannerthat causes the second article 92 to overlap the first article 70 (asshown in FIG. 6), the third suction force 90 (generated by the airsuctioned through the plurality of third-sized openings 74 in theseparation belt 74 by the second vacuum system 86) suctions the secondarticle 92 off of the transfer belt 52 and onto the separation belt 74.In operation (best seen in FIGS. 1 and 6), because the suction forcegenerated by the air suctioned through the plurality of first and/orsecond-sized openings 54, 56 in the transfer belt 52 by the first vacuumsystem is greater than the third suction force 90, the first article 70remains on the transfer belt 52, travels past the separation assembly 72and proceeds on to the processing station 94. As the first article 70travels past the separation assembly 72, the separation belt 74 drivesthe second article 92 backward (in a direction that is opposite to thatin which the transfer belt 52 is traveling) toward the plurality of rods22. As soon as the portion of the transfer belt 52 that is opposite tothe separation belt 74 is free of any articles, the greater suctionforce generated by the air suctioned through the plurality of firstand/or second-sized openings 54, 56 in the transfer belt 52 causes thesecond article 92 traveling on the separation belt 74 to be suctionedback onto the transfer belt 52. In this way, the second article 92proceeds, as did the first article 70 earlier, to travel on the transferbelt 52, past the separation assembly 72 and toward the processingstation 94.

Because a force that is high enough to draw the first article 70 ontothe transfer belt 52 will also be high enough to retain the article 70thereto, it can be appreciated that the transfer belt 52 does not haveto have two different sized openings. In another embodiment, shown inFIG. 8, a transfer belt 152 has only a plurality of first-sized openings154 and a first vacuum system 162 is adapted to suction air from theplurality of first-sized openings 154 to generate a first suction force166 that is at least sufficient enough to both draw and retain a firstarticle 170 onto the transfer belt 152.

In another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, to increase a distance284 between a separation belt 272 and a transfer belt 252, the transferbelt 252 (instead of the separation belt 76 discussed in reference toFIGS. 7A and 7B) is adapted to rotate around a plurality of firstrollers 260. A number 260 a of the plurality of first rollers 260 areretractable rollers and reside on a moveable base plate 280 coupled to aspring 282. When the spring 282 is in a biased position, the spring 282biases the base plate 280 and the retractable rollers 260 a on the baseplate 280. This, in turn, biases the transfer belt 252 in a secondposition and increases the distance 284 between the separation belt 272and the transfer belt 252.

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described abovein conjunction with preferred specific embodiments, the description isintended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, asdefined by the appended claims. Indeed, various modifications of theinvention in addition to those described herein will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the foregoing description and theaccompanying figures. Such modifications are intended to fall within thescope of the appended claims.

It is further to be understood that all values are to some degreeapproximate, and are provided for purposes of description.

The disclosures of any patents, patent applications, and publicationsthat may be cited throughout this application are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

1. An apparatus for jogging and feeding sortable articles, the apparatuscomprising: a first motor; a jogging tray coupled to the first motor;and a plurality of rods rotatably coupled within the jogging tray, theplurality of rods being adapted to rotate at a synchronized rate withone another and comprising a spiral thread and a longitudinal edge. 2.The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a pulley beltcoupled to a second motor adapted to rotate the plurality of rods at thesynchronized rate.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein thecross section of each of the plurality of rods is rectangular.
 4. Asystem comprising the apparatus of claim 1, the system furthercomprising a processing station configured to receive a sortable articlefrom the apparatus.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 furthercomprising a transfer assembly positioned adjacent to the jogging tray,the transfer assembly comprising a transfer belt and a first vacuumsystem, the transfer belt defining a plurality of first openings and thefirst vacuum system being adapted to suction air through the pluralityof first openings.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein theplurality of first openings in the transfer belt comprises a pluralityof openings having a first size and a plurality of openings having asecond size.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising aseparation assembly positioned opposite to the transfer assembly, theseparation assembly comprising a separation belt and a second vacuumsystem, the separation belt defining a plurality of second openings andthe second vacuum system being adapted to suction air through theplurality of second openings.
 8. An apparatus for jogging and feedingsortable articles, the apparatus comprising: a transfer assemblycomprising a transfer belt, a plurality of first rollers and a firstvacuum system, the transfer belt defining a plurality of first openingsand the first vacuum system being adapted to suction air through theplurality of first openings; a separation assembly comprising aseparation belt, a plurality of second rollers and a second vacuumsystem, the separation belt defining a plurality of second openings andthe second vacuum system being adapted to suction air through theplurality of second openings; wherein a portion the transfer belt ispositioned opposite to a portion of the separation belt; and wherein thetransfer belt is adapted to rotate around the plurality of first rollersin a first direction and the separation belt is adapted to rotate aroundthe plurality of second rollers in the first direction.
 9. The apparatusaccording to claim 8 wherein the portion of the transfer belt and theportion of the separation belt are separated by a distance and at leastone of the plurality of first rollers in the transfer assembly isadapted to vary the distance between the transfer belt and theseparation belt.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9 furthercomprising a spring adapted to bias the at least one of the plurality offirst rollers in the transfer assembly in a first position.
 11. Theapparatus according to claim 8 wherein the portion of the transfer beltand the portion of the separation belt are separated by a distance andat least one of the plurality of second rollers in the separationassembly is adapted to vary the distance between the transfer belt andthe separation belt.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 11 furthercomprising a spring adapted to bias the at least one of the plurality ofsecond rollers in the separation assembly in a first position.
 13. Theapparatus according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of first openingsin the transfer belt comprises a plurality of openings having a firstsize and a plurality of openings having a second size.
 14. The apparatusaccording to claim 13 wherein the first size is selected to yield afirst suction force and the second size is selected to yield a secondsuction force when the first vacuum system suctions air through theplurality of openings in the transfer belt.
 15. The apparatus accordingto claim 14 wherein the amount of the first suction force is greaterthan the amount of the second suction force.
 16. The apparatus accordingto claim 14 wherein the plurality of second openings in the separationbelt have a third size and the third size is selected to yield a thirdsuction force when the second vacuum system suctions air through theplurality of second openings.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 16wherein the amount of the first suction force is greater than the amountof the third suction force and the amount of the second suction force isgreater than the amount of the third suction force.
 18. A systemcomprising the apparatus of claim 8, the system further comprising aprocessing station configured to receive a sortable article from theapparatus.
 19. A method of making an apparatus for jogging and feedingsortable articles, the method comprising: securing a first portion of atransfer assembly opposite to a second portion of the transfer assembly;adapting a first belt in the transfer assembly to rotate in a firstdirection and adapting a second belt in the separation assembly torotate in the first direction; and disposing a first suction fan withinthe transfer assembly to suction air from a plurality of holes in thefirst belt and disposing a second suction fan within the separationassembly to suction air from a plurality of holes in the second belt.20. The method according to claim 18 further comprising: securing aforward end of a jogging tray adjacent to a second portion of thetransfer assembly; rotatably coupling a plurality of rods within thejogging tray; and adapting the plurality of rods to rotate at asynchronized rate.